by Are you up to date on changes from Facebook? Wondering which Facebook updates are important to marketers and business owners?
In this article, we explore Facebook changes that affect your marketing.
#1: Meta Ads
Facebook and Instagram Ads Budget Tools
Meta is introducing a new budget scheduling feature for ads that allows advertisers to optimize spending for anticipated traffic spikes or promotions. Advertisers can now set higher daily budgets during peak sales periods like Black Friday or other promotions. After the promotional period passes, the budget will automatically revert back to the initial daily amount without any manual adjustment needed.
Our Take: This is a major improvement! Previously, we could only select times and days for ads to run. But now, if your business sees more weekend sales, you can allocate higher weekend budgets to match that demand. This will also be helpful for sales events.
Bid Multiplier Feature
Meta is testing a new bid multiplier feature for Advantage+ shopping campaigns that allows advertisers to increase bids for specific audiences they value highly. The goal is to give advertisers more control over bids so they can optimize spending on their most valuable customers within the automated Advantage+ campaigns. By bidding up on strategic audiences, advertisers can drive more conversions from their ideal segments.
Promotion and Reminder Ads
To help business owners sell more with discount and promo codes this holiday season, Meta is making Promotional Ads available to more advertisers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
More advertisers will be able to use Reminder ads and upload creative for the ads in Ads Manager. In addition, Reminder ads can now be placed in Instagram Stories.
#2: Ad-Free Facebook and Instagram Subscriptions
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Meta is exploring a paid monthly subscription model for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union. The plan would charge around €10 (£8.68) per month for desktop access or €13 (£11.28) on mobile for each account. Additional linked accounts would cost extra.
Our Take: We understand the new EU privacy laws are really tying their hands when it comes to targeted advertising. But Facebook ads expert Allie Bloyd thinks going to a subscription model is a knee-jerk reaction that could backfire.
Sure, some users may pay for an ad-free experience. But most people are totally fine with relevant ads, especially if they're personalized and useful. Honestly, ads are part of what makes social media free and accessible to everyone.
Instead of giving in to the anti-ad narrative, Meta should launch a massive campaign showing all the benefits of personalized ads and helping people to see how their data improves the user experience—it's not just about squeezing out corporate profits.
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#3: Multiple Personal Profiles
Meta is now allowing people to create multiple personal profiles, each with a unique feed, so users can organize and segment their Facebook presence.
Our Take: Previously, having multiple personal Facebook profiles was prohibited by Meta and accounts with multiple profiles risked penalties or shutdowns. Now Meta is shifting to allow and encourage separate profiles so people can curate different business and personal presences.
A person’s business-focused profile can connect with professional contacts, join industry groups, and see relevant ads. Multiple profiles can also be created to help segment interests and communities with tailored profiles that focus on hobbies, family life, and professional networking.
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Multiple Facebook profiles could also create new marketing opportunities through segmentation. For businesses, separate profiles can target different audiences, like having specialized business cards. Niche agencies can tailor profiles around specific industries to collect relevant inspiration.
While creative uses cases exist, adoption depends on perceived utility and effort and most individuals may not bother building entirely new profiles and networks. This rollout will prove whether casual Facebook users want to put in the time to create specialized profiles or if they will be satisfied with a single homogenous profile.
#4: Meta Verified for Business Accounts
Meta will soon allow businesses to purchase verified badges for Facebook and Instagram accounts. The monthly subscription service costs $22 for one platform or $35 for both. Verified businesses receive benefits like account security, priority support, and increased visibility in searches. Additional perks are tailored for commercial use, including customer service tools on WhatsApp.
#5: AI Experiences
AI-Powered Stickers
Meta is rolling out AI-powered stickers and editing tools across its apps over the next month for select English-speaking users on Messenger, Instagram, Facebook Stories, and WhatsApp.
Meta AI and AI Chatbots
Meta is launching a new AI assistant called Meta AI in beta on Messenger, Instagram, and soon on Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest VR headsets. Available initially in the US, Meta AI provides real-time information and generates photorealistic images from text prompts within seconds.
Additionally, Meta is introducing 28 AI chatbots with unique personalities, including some voiced by celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, and Naomi Osaka.
Our Take: These bots aim to provide an advanced conversational experience using unique digital personalities, but the links between the real-life muses and their AI characters seem tenuous. The Snoop Dogg bot is not simply a virtual version of the rapper. Instead, Meta gave each an altered personality that loosely connects to their human counterpart.
This raises questions about the purpose and appeal of personalized chatbots. People generally use AI for pragmatic reasons—to get information quickly and efficiently. Conversation tends to feel more authentic between real people. Fictional personas could seem gimmicky or fall flat.
On the other hand, digital characters allow for entertainment possibilities. Even if not realistic, vivid personalities enable creative storytelling and user experiences. And they might prove more engaging than a generic informational assistant.
It remains unclear whether these AI chatbots will gain significant user traction. Testing their features firsthand will show if personalized bots provide useful utility or merely novelty. Meta is betting that virtual identities will keep users immersed. Time will tell if that bet pays off or if people prefer AI without artificial personalities.
Allie Bloyd is host of the Marketing Ink Podcast and founder of Allie Bloyd Media, a leading training and consultancy for small businesses that specializes in social advertising.
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